BE 613: Want to Learn Phrasal Verbs? Stick Around!

This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 613. Want to learn phrasal verbs? Stick around. Welcome to the Business English Podcast from All Ears English.

Get the English skills you need to achieve your dreams in global business. For a presentation, a meeting, or your office party, this is Real Business English with your favorite American hosts, Lindsay and Aubrey, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA.

All right. Hello, Aubrey. How are you today? I'm great, Lindsay. How are you? Excellent. Excellent. I'm feeling great. What are we getting into today?

Well, I have a question for you. Okay. Where did you go to college? Oh, I went to college in Virginia at the University of Mary Washington. So yeah. And after you grad, follow up question, after you graduated, did you stick around in Virginia for long?

No, I did not. I left right away and I went to Japan actually within a few months. So yes. So you did not stick around. Same with me. I graduated and I was out.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Usually college towns are not, there's not much to, yeah. To offer after you finish college, right? Yeah, you go to college and then often you move along, move out.

That's true, at least in the United States. That's different in a lot of – like Europe, a lot of cities that have a college, a lot of people live there and stay there and it's a different story. So true. Yeah.

Well, this is interesting. We heard a student recently make a mistake using this phrase, stick around, said something similar to, you know, after completing my degree, I won't have to stick around in what I'm working at anymore. So this is really interesting. We wanted to share how we use this phrase and help you avoid this very common error using it, assuming that it would work in lots of different contexts.

This is interesting. Interesting. Yeah. It's really helpful when we can find mistakes because maybe other students are making this mistake too, right?

Right. So guys, listen in today and make sure you hit follow so that we can drop right into your cue, your natural listening patterns. We'll be there for you three days a week right here on Business English. Right?

Exactly. Right. And we use, of course, the verb stick in lots of different phrasal verbs at work. So we're going to share about stick around and then a few other phrasal verbs as well.

So yeah, let's dive in. These are really useful when, of course, talking about education, your job or your career. They help you talk about how long you did something, right? Yes.

The idea of talking about how long you did something. We're talking about staying in one place, working a job, again, committing to a career, as you said, Aubrey.

Talking about your commitments, basically, is what we're saying here. Exactly. Which we do a ton at work with colleagues, with clients. We're This is a very common of conversation and you want to be able to use phrasal verbs.

They're a little less formal than the alternative. So let's dive in here. Yeah. So first of all, just sharing, you know, why we wouldn't say that I am not going to stick around in what I'm doing for work.

Yeah. Stick around is it implies physically staying somewhere. Yeah. So you might stick around in a place, stick around at home instead of going out. Right.

But it doesn't mean you'll stay in a particular field. Yeah. That's why you asked me at the top of the episode, did I stick around in my college town? Right.

Right. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But I wouldn't ask you like, you know, what did you graduate in and did you stick around in that field? We wouldn't say it that way.

It's just about physically staying somewhere. Right. Exactly. So again, talking about physically staying in a place or nearby. And then what else, Aubrey, do we need to know?

Well, it's interesting. It usually means you're staying for some time. Yeah. Like if I asked you that, did you stick around? If you stayed for six months... Mm-hmm.

even a year, you still would say no. That means kind of long-term. Like if you stayed for five, 10 years, yep, I stuck around. Yes, I love that. Yeah, good stuff.

So let's give some examples, shall we? Yeah, because this could refer to business lunches, work meetings, lots of different situations. You might say, I plan to stick around until the event ends. So physically, we're going to stay.

Yes, it means you're going to stay until it ends. And another example, Paul stuck around the presentation after the presentation. to answer questions, right? Yeah.

We might say this about a presenter, right? Oh, did they stick around to answer questions? It means did they stay after or did they present and then leave immediately? Yes.

And sometimes speakers will say, hey, we'll stick around for a few minutes after the presentation if you have questions for me. Exactly. That means they're going to stay after their presentation. Or, hey, stick around after the meeting so I can chat with you.

This I love. It's so interesting how this subtle nuance between someone saying, can you stay after the meeting so we can chat? As opposed to, can you stick around a minute so we can chat? It is slightly less serious sounding, slightly less formal because it's a phrasal verb.

So you might not be quite so panicked about what they need to talk to you about. I totally agree. It's a real art for a manager or whoever's asking the person to stay to choose their words carefully so they don't put someone into a panic, right? Right.

So true. And this is also interesting. We often avoid repeating a word within the same sentence. So you might say, for example, a few employees stayed late, but most didn't stick around.

Right. And we would avoid trying to say stay again, you know, but most didn't stay because we're repeating that verb. So it's often a phrasal verb will be used this way just to switch up what we're saying.

Or again, asking someone to stay. Can you stick around to help clean up? Right. So I'm asking you to do something so it might be imposing a little bit.

Right. And so that's why I want to make it more casual the way I say it. Exactly. Right. So it's like it makes the favor seem less casual. extreme. No big deal.

Or here's an interesting one. If you train someone at a job, you might say to them, you know, if you stick around, you're going to learn a lot here. And this is an interesting phrase that means if you work here a long time, if you stay, right? But it's the same.

It's just a little less serious sounding. Interesting. All right. So Aubrey, are there any common phrasal verbs with stick? What do we need to know about?

Because phrasal verbs can be tricky for our listeners, I think, right? Absolutely, right? But there are a few that we use in English. Let's teach a couple here.

First of all, stick to. And this means to continue doing something or following maybe a plan, a rule, a schedule. So for example, or rather, this is more about consistency, discipline, and focus when you're sticking to something. thing.

Yes, exactly. Not so much about location, right? Or staying somewhere physically. Yeah. Again, so for example, we need to stick to the budget this quarter.

So we need to remain following that budget and continue following that budget. Or let's stick to the meeting notes so we don't get too off topic today.

Or he stuck to the deadline and finished on time. And if you stick to your routine, productivity improves. What about some common sayings here? We have some chunks that we often use with stick to that we use a lot at work.

What are a couple of those, Lindsay? Yeah. Yeah. Stick to the point, right? So on this show, we try not to go off on too many tangents, right? We try to really stick to the point.

We try to talk about the most important things we're trying to teach you and respect your time as listeners, right? Exactly. Or stick to the script. This means to follow the plan.

maybe planned words or instructions. Or even if you're talking about following a meeting agenda, we might say this, oh, let's stick to the script. We've got a lot to cover. Or stick to the facts, right?

Just the facts. Focus on the factual info, not opinions. One expression that I love is stick-to-itiveness. Stick-to-itiveness. Yes. That's a good bonus, right?

It means you stick to things. You're going to complete the goal. You can be counted on to do what you said you'll do. Do you have good stick-to-itiveness, Lindsay?

I guess so. We've been doing this show for a long time. So we must, right? I would say that you do. I would say you have stick-to-itiveness. I think so.

I have a tongue twister too, stick-to-itiveness. It's just fun to say, and it's creative, and it's more rare. So do we have a role play to get into, Aubrey? Yeah, let's do it.

So you and I are friends. You are about to finish your MBA in this role play, and we're talking about future career goals. I'll start us out. Here we go.

So are you going to stick around at your current company after you finish your MBA? Probably not. I've learned a lot there, but I don't think I want to stick with that kind of work long term.

Really? I thought you liked it. That's fine for now, but I'd rather move into consulting. That makes sense. Are you applying already? Yeah, but I'm trying to stick to a clear plan this time instead of applying everywhere randomly.

I get that. That'll probably make the process less stressful. Yeah. So I think a lot of conversations do happen around, you know, Or are you going to veer in a different direction, right?

Conversations about career with friends or whatever you're doing in your life. Yeah, especially because people do pivot to an entirely different field. That happens a lot. We'll cross over to a different field.

And this is an interesting conversation to find out where someone came from, if they are currently in the field that they studied to be in, or if they've switched it up, if they've stuck with what they started planning to do. It happens a lot in the US. I'm curious whether it happens a lot in different countries. Maybe that'll be our Spotify poll question, Aubrey, today.

Yes. I would love to ask that. In fact, guys, come check out Spotify. We will have a question about this. We want to know. But I definitely get the impression that this is worldwide based on the students in our community who will often share what they studied and what they're doing now for work.

And I'm often admit, so rarely does it seem like... Yeah. They're often in a totally different field. They'll like get a job through a connection or something they love and it's totally different from what they studied.

Yeah. Very, very common here too. Okay. I love that. Interesting. Yes. Come back to Spotify, answer our poll question. I would love to know. All right.

Good stuff. So let's go through the role play, shall we? Yes. First one, you said, Aubrey, you said, so are you planning to stick around at your current company?

Yes. So I'm asking you that kind of casual. I'm using this casual language because maybe it's too direct for me to say, are you going to stay at your company? I could still say that to you.

That's a really good point. Well, that's interesting to think about. If you're going to ask a coworker, think of the other ways you would say this that would feel too direct or too formal. Like, do you plan to work here long?

Yeah. It seems crazy, but we would say this like, oh, I hope you stick around. Do you think you'll stick around? And it seems so much more friendly and casual.

Exactly. Exactly. And then I replied, probably not. I've learned a lot here or there, but I don't think I want to stick with that kind of work long term.

So I don't want to continue doing it. And this is actually a little sneak peek for a phrasal verb that we are going to teach in part two of this series. So be sure to hit follow. We're going to talk about stick with and other phrases, other ways that we say this when we're going to continue doing something instead of quitting or changing.

Stick-to-itiveness. If you have stick-to-itiveness, you stick with things. So we're going to do another episode about those phrases. So be sure to hit follow so you don't miss it.

Okay, good stuff. And then lastly, you said, I'm trying to stick to a clear plan. This means like not changing it up a lot. I'm not trying not to change the plan all the time.

I trust in the plan. I'm going to stick to it. Yeah, follow the plan, right? That's what we always say about our courses. Follow the study plan, right?

Because we're guiding you to a result. Right? Exactly. Yes. Awesome. So guys, we want to make sure that you don't miss a recent episode. It was, what does it entail?

How to be clear about expectations in English. This was episode 570 right here on the Business English Podcast. And this is such a great strategy. I can think of a few times at work when things didn't go well, and it's often about this.

Expectations aren't clear. So this episode is so vital. Scroll up if you missed it. Yes, I love it. And for a final takeaway, Aubrey, how is this a connection skill?

I think it matters for connection, don't you? Absolutely. I love what we pointed out right there at the end. If you do want to ask a coworker what their plans are, if they're going to stay long-term at the company, there are ways you can say it that might be a little awkward.

They're just a little bit too formal. Your language matters. The tone matters. And phrasal verbs like this, oh, do you think you'll stick around? Think you'll stick around long?

Makes it so much more casual and friendly. Yeah. a huge part of business rapport, building rapport in business is striking the right tone. Not because we, at least in American culture, we have a major bias towards privacy, right?

If we don't know the person that well, and you ask them a very direct question, that could be kind of intense for them. So we can use different language to kind of hide that, but we're still getting the same answer, right? Absolutely.

And often at work, we're striking this semi-formal tone, which these phrasal verbs do. They're not so casual that you can't use them at work. They're semi-formal. You can definitely use them with colleagues, coworkers, and often they're preferable over the more formal options that might be too direct.

You got it. All right. Great episode today, Aubrey. We'll see you next time. All right. Awesome. See you next time. Take care. Bye. Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.

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